"Sony APR5000, the first analog capstan-less stereo tape recorder. Used microprocessor based control of machine calibration. This was the last analog 2 track machine ever designed. From this point on all product development shifted to digital DASH machines."

So says the web... but does anyone use them? There doesn't seem to be a lot of information out there.

Are they similar to an ATR-100 series? Probably nowhere to find parts.

--a

Where did you see this?

"Sony APR5000, the first analog capstan-less stereo tape recorder."

It does have a capstan and pinch roller. There is no machine I know of that has a capstanless transport. The dude might be talking about pinch rollerless technology which first came in the form of Ampex ATR100s (predates the APR 5000 by a decade).

"Used microprocessor based control of machine calibration."

True

"This was the last analog 2 track machine ever designed. From this point on all product development shifted to digital DASH machines."

The Studer A807 might be newer.

The quote is from (reputedly) one of the designers' web sites at:

http://www.orner-stepp.com/CV/cv_product_photos.htm

The "last 2 track machine ever designed" claim is in context of Sony here.

Ever used one, Greg? Any thoughts?

Andy

You can see the capstan and pinch roller right in the photograph.

Since this guy was involved in the ASIC/microprocessor aspects of these projects, not the physical transport, he probably just doesn't really know what he's talking about...

Or maybe he was involved with the Otari MTR machines and has gotten it mixed up (no conflict of interest with Sony at the time, right?).

I've had some experience with the APR-5000 machines in the past few months. We have quite a few of them at the school I go to. So far, I like them. The front panel folds down and allows you to do every adjustment while sitting in one spot. There are three bias presets available and the machine handles three speeds: 7.5, 15, and 30 IPS. Operation is sometimes counter-intuitive, but the manual is well written.

The transports on the Sony 3348 Dash and 3348 Dash HR machines are beautiful. Its too bad those designs were applied to digital instead of analog multitrack tape machines.

Thanks Bonati. Do you know the electronics design per chance? More importantly, how does the unit sound?

acrossen wrote:Thanks Bonati. Do you know the electronics design per chance? More importantly, how does the unit sound?

ahhhhh, pretty good. im willing to bet.




?????

I worked with one that sounded ok. I'd compare it to an Otari MX5050, or Studer A810. It's not terribly quiet, pretty stable, and easy to use. The controls work more like video post-production equipment than an audio recorder. It seemed like it was built well and the tape moved safely. The audio circuits are more like the Studer A810-827 machines and modern Otari decks. Since the calibration is handled by a digitally controlled gain amp there is a potential for more noise and distortion, but that is the same way those later Studer machines work. There aren't too many complaints about them.

Here's something I just posted on prosoundweb, any help is appreciated:

"I'm working with a 1/4" 2 track Sony APR-5000 as a mixdown tape machine for the first time (and with an analog tape machine for the third time in my life, so I might be asking some basic stuff), and since the studio doesn't have the manual for it, can anyone tell me how to do playpack / library wind on it? I can't seem to figure it out.

Also, it's a twelve day project, and the machine is turned off every night. I saved an alignment preset on it, but I wonder if I should worry about it drifting as the days go by and the machine gets turned on and off. Should I trust it to be stable enough for the whole twelve day period, or should I do something to keep it from drifting?

Finally, there's a box of ten tapes for the project, and I realised the first four tapes in it (including the one with the tones, on which the alignment was based) have a different serial number than the other six. First four are "2005231", the other six "2005228". I'm assuming that means those are two different batches. Is it advisable (or just overkill) to re-do alignment and tones for the differently numbered tapes in the box? I imagine there might be a difference in how different batches of tape react to a same bias alignment.

If it's of any importance, the tape is 456, which we're running at 15 IPS, 355 nWb/m, IEC1 eq.

I learned most of the little I know about analog recording from reading stuff (as opposed to watching / hearing people do it), so I always try to play it as safe as possible to make sure my inexperience won't interfere with the fidelity side of the project.

Thanks in advance."